Keypoints:
- Three processing projects under consideration
- Battery-material plant targeted for 2028
- Energy and profitability remain decisive
GABON has agreed with French mining group Eramet to study three industrial projects that could process up to 700,000 tonnes of manganese ore annually inside the country by 2031, strengthening Libreville’s drive for local value addition.
According to Eramet’s July 20 statement, the memorandum sets out a roadmap for projects serving steel and electric vehicle supply chains. None represents a final investment commitment, with delivery dependent on technical studies, commercial viability, infrastructure, environmental approvals and competitively priced electricity.
Three projects shape roadmap
Eramet and its Gabonese subsidiary, Comilog, signed the agreement in Paris on July 20, 2026, during President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema’s state visit to France. French President Emmanuel Macron attended the signing.
Christel Bories, Eramet’s chair and chief executive, said the agreement demonstrated the company’s commitment to Gabon’s industrial development.
‘We are delighted by the signing of this memorandum of understanding, which gives concrete form to the Group’s commitment…’ Bories said.
She said that commitment included helping to develop Gabon’s industrial sector and expand domestic manganese processing after more than a year of technical work.
Battery plant targeted for 2028
The first proposal is a manganese oxide plant near Libreville. It would initially produce 10,000 tonnes annually from about 20,000 tonnes of ore for electric vehicle battery chains and high-performance steel.
Commissioning could take place by the end of 2028, subject to a final investment decision and approval of the project’s technical, environmental, economic and industrial conditions.
If the first unit succeeds and customers are secured, additional plants with annual capacities of 50,000 tonnes could follow.
The project supports Gabon’s decision to prohibit raw manganese exports from January 1, 2029, a policy confirmed by the Gabonese Presidency and examined in Africa Briefing’s report on Gabon’s manganese export ban.
Moanda complex could restart
A second proposal would renovate the Moanda Metallurgical Complex, where Comilog has processed manganese since 2015.
Studies will determine whether the site can operate profitably at a capacity of up to 70,000 tonnes of manganese alloys annually, requiring about 150,000 tonnes of ore. Eramet said operations could restart by the end of 2029 if the required profitability and investment conditions are met.
The plan reflects a wider African push to retain more value from strategic minerals, also evident in Kenya’s critical-minerals negotiations with the US over local processing.
Coastal plant carries greater risk
The largest proposal is a coastal plant capable of producing 265,000 tonnes of manganese alloys annually for steelmakers. It would process approximately 530,000 tonnes of ore and could enter operation in 2031.
Eramet said the plant would require a separate investment agreement, secure logistics, adequate energy supplies and final approval by the company and Comilog.
Gabon has committed to developing the required energy solutions with outside partners, while Eramet will assess each project independently and proceed only where the commercial case is viable.
That challenge underlines the importance of transport infrastructure, including Gabon’s Trans-Gabon Railway modernisation, in supporting mineral processing and industrial expansion.
Jobs and biochar widen deal
Eramet and Comilog will also support a domestic biochar industry using timber-production waste to replace imported metallurgical coke. A pilot kiln began operating in Lastourville in July 2026, while a 10,000-tonne annual production facility is being considered for 2029.
A ‘Made in Gabon’ industrial seed fund is also planned, with the longer-term objective of creating 3,000 industrial jobs.
The memorandum gives Gabon a clearer industrial pathway, but success will depend on whether studies become financed factories and whether reliable power and logistics arrive before the raw-ore export deadline.
